1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is a disposable utensil for cooking, warming, and heating articles. More particularly, in the preferred mode, the invention is a disposable utensil which comprises a liner surrounding a permeable armature, which comprises a plurality of vertical members configured in a predetermined framework. The armature functions to elevate an article such as any type of food, in such a manner as to prevent the article from becoming soggy from contact with effluent drippings produced during the cooking, warming, or heating process. The invention may also utilize an optional support element for heavier or larger articles, as well as an optional layer of absorbent material, such as ovenproof paper, felt, wadding or fibrous material for absorption of effluent drippings. The utensil is suitable for usage in connection with cooking, warming, and heating appliances of all types and all sizes. As such, the utensil is a substantial improvement over existing methods of cooking, warming, and heating foods, some of which are: utilizing reusable cooking utensils leading to significant cleaning time of grill and tray or pan; lining a pan with foil, which leads to significant cleaning time and sogginess of food; and utilizing a reusable grill over a foil lined pan, which leads to significant cleaning time and sogginess of food.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous innovations for grill devices have been provided in the prior art that are described as follows. Even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention as hereinafter contrasted. The following is a summary of those prior art patents most relevant to the invention at hand, as well a description outlining the differences between the features of the present invention and those of the prior art.
1. U.S. Pat. No. 5,279,277, invented by Barker, entitled “Heat Radiating Element And Drippings Shield For Gas Fired Barbecues”
The Barker invention provides a heat radiating shield which both prevents the dripping of grease onto the gas burners of the barbecue and provides an even transfer of heat to the cooking area. The invention comprises a smoothly curved, upwardly concave tray which is positioned between the burners and the food-supporting grate. Drippings are trapped in the tray and are not permitted to run out of the tray.
2. U.S. Pat. No. 5,009,151, invented by Hungerford, entitled “Barbecuing Protective Food Support”
The patent to Hungerford describes a cooking protective food support that includes a plurality of raised portions and a plurality of lower portions supports food to be cooked and collects cooking food juices. The support retains the cooking food juices so the food is self-basted or rehydrated. Additionally, the support retains the cooking food juices to prevent flare-ups that often occur when the cooking food juices come in direct contact with the heat source. The food support is invertible so that food juices on the surface that is not supporting the food are burned away by the heat source.
3. U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,440, invented by Latour, et al., entitled “BBQ Grill Insert”
In the patent to Latour et al., a barbecue grill insert is provided that consists of a plate with a raised rim that is fabricated out of disposable heavy duty heat resistant material. The plate is perforated and when placed upon a permanent cooking grid of the barbecue grill will protect the grid from fluids coming from food thereon. In a modification the insert is so constructed that it can be properly positioned on the bars of the cooking grid so that the fluids from the food will drip down between the bars through the perforations in the plate.
4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,897, invented by Snyder, entitled “Cooking Apparatus”
In the patent to Snyder, a cooking apparatus uses a cooking grid having an upper surface with a series of parallel rails and parallel valleys. The cooking grid has a continuous upper surface such that juices and other drippings from food which is being cooked upon the upper surface cannot come into contact with a heat source such as an electrical heating element. The grid further prevents flame from striking the food disposed on the top of the grid. The heat source may be an electrical heat source disposed within the grid. Alternately, the heat source could be separated from the grid by air.
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,410, invented by Osrow et al., entitled “Disposable Foil Broiling Sheet”
The patent to Osrow et al. describes an improved disposable foil cooking sheet which is manufactured as a triputite laminate. The laminate comprises a generally flat foraminous impermeable foil upper layer, a central core of dry material and a generally flat imperforate lower layer. Several disposable foil cooking sheets may be connected in seriation and rolled into a roll.
6. U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,439, invented by Rasmussen, entitled “Barbecue Aluminum Foil”
In the patent to Rasmussen, a foil web is arranged for positioning over a barbecue grill structure to effect the dissipation of grease and the like to drip uniformly to underlying briquets and meter such grease in a manner to effect its dissipation and vaporization upon contact with an underlying heating structure. The web includes a matrix of apertures coextensive with the web of specific sizing to effect such dissipation.
7. U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,097, invented by Rhee, entitled “Disposable Liner For A Cooking Grill”
The patent to Rhee describes a liner used to line the grills of barbecues and other types of cooking grill structures. The liner is shaped in a sinusoidal pattern that fits over the parallel rods on the grill. Apertures are formed in the troughs of the sinusoidal pattern. The apertures enable heat and hot gases from the below lying flame to directly contact food placed on the liner. Additionally, the apertures drain drippings, barbecue sauce and the like that flows from the food and gathers in the troughs. The presence of the apertures in the troughs define reliefs that enable the liner to pass over the parallel bars of a grill despite the presence of cross bars that lay perpendicular to the parallel bars.
8. U.S. Pat. No. 5,586,491, invented by Diller et al., entitled “Disposable Barbecue Grill Shield”
In the patent to Diller et al. a disposable flexible foil product placed on a barbecue grill comprises a sheet of metal foil with rectangular vents. The pattern consists of two sets of vents equally offset from the center with a space in the middle. The pattern is repeated longitudinally with a central divider between patterns. The foil has a flat bottom surface. The foil is dispensable either from a roll or it is packaged in flat sheets or pans, having a scored line spaced in from the edge to allow for manual upturning of the edges.
9. U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,725, invented by Zafiroglu, entitled “Article For Absorbing Cooking Grease”
The patent to Zafiroglu describes a disposable article, suitable for absorbing and immobilizing grease generated during cooking, has a housing containing an absorbent bed of particles and polyolefin microfibers.
10. U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,396, invented by Weidner et al., entitled “Grease Absorbing Pad”
The patent to Weidner et al. describes a disposable three layered pad for collecting cooking grease. The top layer is made up of at least one ply of a grease absorptive sheet. The middle layer is a grease resistant sheet. Finally, the bottom layer is an anti-stick insulating sheet. The pad is dimensioned to cover a substantial portion of the bottom cooking area of a microwave oven.
11. U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,212, invented by Stroud, entitled “Grill Aerator And Waste Receptacle”
The patent to Stroud describes a grill aerator and waste receptacle in the form of a pan having frustoconical air towers projecting from its bottom. The pan fits in the bowl of a barbecue grill under the grate supporting the charcoal bed. When placed in the grill bowl, the pan collects ash and drippings from food, while the air towers direct air through the charcoal bed.
12. U.S. Pat. No. 6,481,343, invented by Rigney et al., entitled “Barbecue Grill Grate”
The patent to Rigney et al. describes a cooking grate for a grill, such as a barbecue grill, is comprised of a plurality of generally elongate rail members assembled in a nesting relationship to form a first and second cooking surface. The first cooking surface is formed by a generally flat surface on each of the rail members, the flat surfaces abutting to form a substantially smooth surface, with a plurality of elongate apertures therein through which juices produced by cooking food may flow. Each rail member has a gutter along its length which underlies approximately half of each of the apertures for catching a portion of the juices and diverting it from the heat source below. The grate may be reversed and the gutters form the second cooking surface which is similar to a conventional grate surface.